Rail-joint for railways.



No. 707,494. Patented Aug. l9, I902.

E. n. AVERY. I

RAIL JOINT FOR BAILWAYS.

(Application filed. Apr. 30, 1902.)

(lo Model.)

Wn gE I 1! 5-: a

with rates )ATENT OFFICE.

TO CHARLES ELMER MORRIS MONTANA.

AND PHILIP HARRY GOHN, OF PONY,

RAlL-JOINT FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,494, dated August 19, 1902.

Application filed April 80, 1902. Serial No. 105,335. (No model.) I

To (0717/ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD R. AVERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pony, in the county ofMadison and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints for Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway-rail j oints, and has for its object to provide a device of improved and simple construction for connecting the meeting ends of the rails without employing bolts or fish-plates usually used for the purpose, the construction and arrangement being such that while the device effectually prevents lateral and vertical displacement of the rails it will permit of the expansion and contraction of the rails, due to variations in the temperature, without injury to the joints.

It also has for its object to provide improved means for automatically tightening up the joint should the parts become loose owing to the vibration caused by the passage of trains over the rails.

Finally, it has for its object to improve and simplify this class of devices generally.

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railwayjoint made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, showing the spring-plate. Fig. 3 is a view from the opposite side of the joint, showing the wedge in place. Fig. t is a top View of the chair with rails and other features omitted. Figs. 5 and6 are detailed views of a wedge, showing the T-headed bolt.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a railway-rail chair comprising a fiat base 2, provided on its upper side with two fianges 3 and 4:, which are undercut on their adjacent lower faces, as at 5 and 6, for the reception of the base-flanges 7' of the rails. The overhanging portions 8 and 9 of the flanges and l are constructed to receive between them the webs 10 of the rails, and,

as shown in the drawings, the overhanging shoulder 8 of the flange 3 is parallel with and abuts the webs of the rails, while the corresponding shoulder 9 of the flange 4: is tapered or'inclinedthat is to say, is formed obliquely to the webs of the rails or to the shoulder 8and does not extend to the webs of the rails. z

Fitted between the shoulder 9 and the ad jacent sides of the webs of the rails is a tapered or wedge-shaped key 11, said key having approximately the shape of a trapezium in cross-section, or, in other words, said key gradually diminishesin size from one end to the other and is inclined on its top and bottom faces to fit the under side of the tread of the rails and the upper sides of the basefianges thereof, while its inner face is vertical to fit against the webs of the rails, and its opposite face is inclined and tapered to fit the oblique shoulder 8. After the ends of the rails have been seated in the chair between the flanges 3 and 4: the wedge-shaped key is driven into place, tightly clamping the rails in place.

Attached to the larger end of the flange 4 is a bracket-plate consisting of a flat plate 12, of resilient metal-such as tempered steel, for example-the end of which is slotted, as at 13, for the purpose hereinafter explained, and projects inwardly beyond the end of the key 11. In the outer inclined face of the key 11, near its smaller end, is formed a T-shaped groove 14, in which is removably fitted a T- shaped bolt 15, the threaded end of which projects through the slot 13 in the spring bracket-plate and has fitted thereon a nut 16, against which the spring bracket-plate bears.

After the rails havebeen inserted in the chair and the key has been driven into place in the chair the nut 16 is tightened up, thereby placing the bracket-plate under tension and causing it to bear with a strong pressure against the nut. The spring bracket-plate performs a twofold function. By pressing against the nut with a spring-pressure the threads of thenut are caused to bind against the threads of the bolt, and thereby tends to prevent the nut from unscrewing, and should the key become loose through the vibration caused by the passage of heavy trains over the rails the spring bracket-plate operates to instantly and automatically draw up-the tapered 'key, so as to wedge it between the shoulder 9 of the flange 4 and the webs of the rails.

As shown, the chair is cast in one single integral piece and in practice maybe formed of malleable iron or cast-steel, while the spring bracket-plate is preferably formed of tempered steel to give to it the necessary resiliency.

By means of my improved rail-joint I dispense entirely with the bolts and fish-plates usually employed for the purpose and provide a continuous and practically smooth and uninterrupted surface for the car-wheels to run on, avoiding the customary pounding of the wheels on the abutting ends of the rails and the wear and noise resulting therefrom. At the same time the spring bracket-plate will yield sufficiently to accommodate the endwise movement of the rails caused by the contraction and expansion of the rails due to variations in temperature. By removably fitting the bolt in the key in the manner shown and described should the bolt be broken from any cause a new bolt may be readily substituted.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A railway-chair provided with undercut flanges constructed to embrace the baseflanges and webs of two abutting rails, one of said flanges being parallel with the rail-webs and the other oblique thereto, a wedge-shaped key fitted between said oblique flange and the rails, a slotted resilient bracket -plate fitted to the end of the oblique flange, a bolt fitted in the smaller end of the wedge-shaped key and projecting through the slot in the spring bracket-plate and a nut fitted on the bolt and bearing against the spring bracketplate, substantially as described.

2. A railway-chair provided with undercut flanges constructed to embrace the baseflanges and webs of two abutting rails, one of said flanges being parallel with the rail-web and the other oblique thereto, a wedge-shaped key fitted between said oblique flange and the rails, a slotted resilient bracket-plate fitted to the end of the oblique flange, a bolt removably fitted in the smaller end of the Wedge-shaped key and projecting through the slot in the spring bracket-plate, and a nut fitted on the bolt and bearing against the spring bracket-plate, substantially as de scribed.

3. A railway-chair provided with undercut flanges constructed to embrace the basefianges and webs of two abutting rails, one of said flanges being parallel with the rail-webs and the other oblique thereto, a wedge-shaped key fitted between said oblique flange and the rails, a slotted resilient bracket-plate fitted to the end of the oblique flange and projecting inwardly in front of the smaller end of the wedge-shaped key,a bolt fitted in the smaller end of said wedge-shaped key and projecting through the slot in the spring bracket-plate, and a nut fitted on the bolt and bearing against the spring bracket-plate, substantially as described.

4:. A railway-chair provided with undercut flanges constructed to embrace the basefianges and webs of two abutting rails, one of said flanges being parallel with the rail-Web, and the other oblique thereto, a wedge-shaped key fitted between said oblique flange and the rails, a slotted resilient bracketplate fitted to the end of the oblique flange and projecting inwardly in front of the smaller end of the key, said key being provided on the inner face of its smaller end with a T- shaped groove, a headed bolt removably seated in said groove and projecting through the slot in the spring bracket-plate, and a nut fitted on said bolt and bearing against the spring bracket-plate, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD R; AVERY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. E. MORRIS, A. J NO. RINIoK. 

